Praise Special Operations In Ukraine Goes As Planned, President Putin: Our Army Is Struggling With Perseverance

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Special military operations in Ukraine is proceeding according to plan, all tasks were carried out successfully, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to the Russian Security Council.

"Our soldiers fought tenaciously, with the full understanding of the justice of their cause, even after being injured, they remained in formation, sacrificing themselves to save comrades and civilians," Putin said, noting Russian troops were trying to prevent civilian casualties in Ukraine, as reported by Sputnik News, March 4th.

President Putin further said that nationalists and foreign mercenaries in Ukraine are using civilians as human shields. They did not keep their promise to remove heavy military equipment from the settlements, he continued.

"Instead of fulfilling promises to remove this equipment from residential areas, from kindergartens, hospitals, on the contrary, tanks, artillery, mortars are also deployed there," said President Putin.

The Russian president also said foreign nationals were being held hostage in Ukraine, in particular, among them there were about 3,179 Indian nationals.

"Neo-Nazis also opened fire on Chinese students who tried to leave Kharkov. Two of them were injured. I repeat: hundreds of foreigners tried to leave the war zone, but they were not allowed to do so," Putin stressed.

But the way the 'neo-Nazis treat their own citizens' is even worse, he argues, because Russian soldiers have witnessed apartment building occupants being 'herded to the center floor of the building'.

While downstairs 'they broke through windows and walls, install heavy equipment there'. On the roof and upstairs, machine guns and snipers were stationed, he said.

However, he continued, Russian troops have provided corridors in all collision zones without exception, providing transportation so that civilians, foreign nationals have the opportunity to go to safety, something the nationalists should not do.

President Putin's speech came shortly after Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the West had stepped up sending contract soldiers from private military companies to Ukraine, with US military intelligence launching a massive campaign to recruit PMC contractors for Ukraine.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine expects about 16,000 foreign mercenaries to come and fight for the country.

According to estimates from the Russian Ministry of Defense, 200 Croatian mercenaries have arrived in Ukraine, with Britain, Denmark, Latvia and Poland also giving the green light to send mercenaries there.

General Konashenkov said foreign troops already in Ukraine "conducted sabotage and raids against convoys of Russian equipment and material supplies, as well as aircraft protecting them."